Apple TV to Gain Game Support With Bluetooth Controllers By March

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The Apple TV could be getting long-awaited game support in an upcoming software update, according to a report from iLounge. It could include Bluetooth controller support and an Apple TV-based App Store.

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iLounge has heard from reliable industry sources that Apple TV will soon be getting proper game support in an update, likely to come in March or earlier. We've heard that developers are currently working on Bluetooth controller options, and it's expected that games could be downloaded directly to the Apple TV rather than relying on another iOS device as an intermediary.

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Turning the Apple TV into a game console-type device with an App Store has long been expected, with rumors dating back years suggesting that such a feature was in the works. MG Siegler wrote last year that Apple appeared to be moving closer to leveraging the Apple TV for television gaming.

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I only really buy the rumor if there's a new Apple TV model. Can't see it happening on the current version, not enough space, A5 processor.

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I think it could - the space would be the main issue, but it would be on par with iPad 2/Mini which are still supported devices. The resolution is a bit higher, but they could limit games to 720P and it would be very similar to performance on those devices.

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This would call for an Apple Media event no doubt. With new information available for developers at WWDC.

Genius move. Make the hardware developers create the controllers and the app developers create the games while Apple reaps the benefits. It's actually a win win for everyone; consumers, developers and Apple!

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I think they should release a new Apple TV and put the App Store on there. Then there would be a higher-end baseline for software development going forward. The A5 chip with 512MB of ram isn't going to be much of a gaming powerhouse trying to run 1080p. But the upside to launching on current hardware is a larger install base for developers.

Apple would absolutely kill it if they released an AppleTV style game console with bluetooth support and a controller designed by Apple. Price it at $249 with a quad A8X, 2GB ram. A system like that should be able to run higher-end games than a 360 or PS3, but still undercut the PS4 and One for casual gamers who also want the home entertainment features. The only thing I'm not sure about is storage space, which can quickly add cost and is necessary for storing console-quality games.

I wonder how easily and cost-effective it is to scale up the cores of the PowerVR chipsets? Could maybe get away with a lower-spec'd A series chip that has tons of graphics cores.

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